Concept

Hold responsibility for strategic management and want to complement their practical experience with thorough theoretical understanding and research,

Develop strategy,

Will soon be taking over strategic responsibilities.

The four-month Business Strategy Certificate Program starts with an onsite seminar that gives participants the insights they need for the distance-learning module and prepares them for their project paper.

Design

The certificate program has three units:

Onsite "Strategic Management" seminar

Four-week distance-learning module

Independent literature study and project paper

Subjects

1. Seminar

The on-site seminar "Strategic Management" covers:

Strategic management

Business segments (for example, planning units)

The strategic call for action

Promising strategic options

Strategy formulation

Changing structures

Successfully implementing strategies

2. Distance Learning

The distance-learning unit, set in an international context, broadens and deepens participants’ knowledge. In addition to their literature assignments, participants take a four-week distance learning course (one evening per week) designed and taught by leading US professors.

Description

This module explores the differences among the strategies and systems that managers use to increase productivity. A key topic is how organizations can achieve the scale, scope and efficiency that come from being large and the flexibility, speed and responsiveness of being small. The course covers Harvard University Professor Michael Porter's Industry and Competitive Analysis Framework, the importance of core competencies and analysis of the value chain for finding business opportunities. Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Walter Rodriguez

3. Project Paper (Practical Part)

The practical part of this program ensures that participants’ studies relate to their current jobs. Participants select a subject or a project and write a 30- to 50-page project paper. The paper should build participants’ knowledge and skill in their specific business areas.

4. Certificate

After successfully completing this program, participants are awarded the “Business Strategy Certificate” from SGMI Management Institute St. Gallen.